Cigar lighter



Nov. 4, 1924,

C. w. MABEY 1514582 C IGAR LIGHTER Filed Feb. 3f 1923 IIIII v new r.

Patented Nov. 4, 1924.

UNITED 'STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES W. MABEY, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, AssIGNon To MABEY ELECTRIC AND MANUFACTURING COMPANY, or INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, A CORPORATION OF INDIANA.

CIGAR LIGHTER.

Application led February V3, 1923.

T0 all 'Lv/Icom it may concern.'

ABe it Vknown that I, 'CHARLES lV. MABEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Indianapolis, in the county of Marion and State of Indiana, have invented new and useful Improvements in Cigar Lighters, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements i-n electric cigar lighters which are particularly designed for use in automobiles where an electric current of low voltage, Iprimarily installed for illuminating purposes and for ignitinfg .the hydrocarbon charges in the 'engine, is available, and where the air resistance caused by the .rapid motion of the lcar makes the lighting `of a cigar diiicult with a match.

Theobj'ect of this invention is to provide a device that can be conveniently attached by screws to `the frame or other wooden members of a car and wired to the usual ignition and lighting equipment.

Another object is to provide a hot-spot member so .iieXibly attached 4to a yfixed body member that .the hot-spot may be moved freely Vand positioned with one hand to locate :and light a cigar and to automatically complete the kelectric current when so moved.

.A .further object is to automatic-ally break the rcircuit by gravity when the hot-spot member is released 'by the user, land the object also is to lock said member against accident-al movement when released by the user and while not in use.

l .accomplish the above, and Vother objects which will hereinafter appear, by the mech anism illustrated in the accompanying thawing, in which* Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the cigar lighter with the spot-light lmember `removed -romth'e body member or holder and' manually positioned for use. Fig. 2, is a vertical longitudinal section of the body member `of the lighter with the hot-spot memb'erin full line in its raised position completing the vcircuit and in dotted lines in alinrtherraised position for use. Fig. 3, is a rear elevation 'of the body member. Fig. '4, .is a vertical longitudinal section of the body member with the hot-spot `member in .its 'closed position andthe circuit broken. Fig. 5, is a longitudinal section of the hotspot holder and lconnecting arm, removed Serial No. 616,665.

from the body member, and sectioned to show the Wiring. Fig. 6, is a ragmentin longitudinal section atright angles to the plane on which Fig'. 5 is drawn, and showing the complete assembly of the hot-spot member, and Fig. 7 is a cross section on the line 7-7 of Fig. 6.

Like characters of reference indicate like parts in the several views of the drawing.

The body member 8 may be cast or stamped out of metal. It has a bac-k channel 9 extending from the lower end nearly to the upper end of the body and the extreme upper end of the body is bifurcated. In the upper end of the channel 9 a metal electrical contact plate 10 is secured by a binding-post 11, :and it is insulated from the body member 8 by a non-conductor 12. The post 11 is connected by a wire 13, having an 4insulating cover, with a binding-post 1l, at the lower end of the body 8 and insulated from said body. A wire 15 connects with a source of current ,preferably the ignition system of a motor car in which the cigar lighter is installed.

Holes 16 are formed in the body 8 for the passage of screws by which the device is fastened to the wooden frame or other suitable port-ion of the car, in any desired location.

The maj or upper V-portion Yof the body v8 is formed with a pair of parallel flanges 17 urojecting forwardly from said body.

loles 18 are for-med near ythe upper end of the flanges 17 for the reception oi a pin 6 by which an arm 20 is hinged to the body member. 0n the inner end of this arm a binding-post 21 is seated and insulated from the arm. The outer end of the arm has a socket to receive an end of a tube 22 formed out oi' spirally woundfspring wire, the coils of which are in contact with each other. The opposite end of the tube 22 enters a socket in a handle member 23, and the tube is retained in both of its sockets by forcing the walls thereof against the tube by the aid of a vise.

At the outer end of the handle 23 is ahead 24 having a circular recess entering Vfrom one side, in which a. porcelain disk 25 is fitted and removably held by a kpair of diametrically opposite washers 26, that are retained by screws 27, passing through the washers into the head. The washers are clipped on one side so that, by loosening the screws, the washers may be given a half turn to a position which will allow the removal of the disk past them.

Seated in the disk are binding posts 28 and 29, which are connected by a resistance strip 30, wound back and forth in suitable holes formed in the disk. A narrow strip of mica 31 is preferably laid between the face of the disk and said windings, at right angles with the windings on that sid-e ofthe disk. A space between the disk 25 and the bottom of its recess in the head is lined with an insulation 32. This insulation has a hole through it through which a leaf spring contact 33 on the inner end of a binding post 28, makes electrical contact with the metal of head 24.

The metal cup 34, opposite the bindingpost 29, receives a leaf spring contact 35 on the inner end of said binding-post. The binding-post 29 is electrically connected by a wire 36 with a binding-post in the far end of the arm 20.' This post is insulated from the arm, but the head of the post is so positioned that contact with the metal plate 10 occurs when the outer end of the arm is suitably swung upwardly in using the lighter.

The conducting wire 36 passes through tube 22 of spirally wound spring wire, and I have found that an induced current is set up in the wire of the tube from that passing through wire 36, which objectionably heats the handle and tube. This I have stopped by placing an auxiliary wire 37 beside the wire 36, one end of which auxiliary wire is seated in the arm 20; and the other end is coiled in the head 24, in the manner shown in Fig. 5.

Formed on the handle 23 is a lug 38 having an indent 39 in its inner end, and formed in the lower portion of body 8 is a longitudinal slot 40 just wide enoughto 'receive the lug 38 with a loose lit. The slot is elongated and additionally widened below to make insertion, of the lug easier. The distance of the bottom of the notch in the lug from the pin 6 on which the arm 20 is hinged y is so regulated that the lug will be locked in M ing the tube 22 in the socket of the handle member so the bottom of the notch in the lug 38 will be the right distance from the pin 6, and then crimping the walls of the handle-socket against the tube as was done with the lever socket.

The lug 38 forms a bearing, also, for the thumb of the operator in giving a half turn to the head so as to present its hot-spot properly to the cigar or cigarette to be lighted.

In the operation of my invention, when the handle 23 and the head 24 are released by unhooking the lug 38 and raising the parts to the position shown in Fig. l and in dotted lines in Fig. 2, contact is made so the current passes through wires 15, 13, plate 10, head 21, wire 36, cup 34C, post 29, resistance 31 and. post 28 to the lea-f spring Contact 33, and through that the head 24. From the latter it passes through 23, 22, 2O and 18 to the body 8, post 42 and out through wire 75 which is grounded on the motor car.

While I have here shown the best embodiment of my invention now known to me it is-capable of many variations in form and arrangement o-f parts and I therefore do not desire to be limited unduly or any more than is required by the appended claims, and what I claim is- 1. In a. cigar lighter, a body memgber, an electric resistance, means comprising a cylinder of spir'ally wound wire for swingingly supporting the resistance from the body member and for manual contact in using the lighter, an electric current conductor in the body member and extending thence through said cylinderto the resistance, and a second conductor extending through the cylinder to keep the latter from heating by induction.

2. In a cigar lighter, a body member, an electric resistance member having a handle, means comprising a spirallywound wire cylinder and a hinge for swingingly supporting the handle from said body member, an electric conductor in the body member extending thence at certain positions of the handle to the electric resistance member, means for making the circuit by swinging the handle away from the bod member and for breaking the circuit w en the handle is closed against the body member, and a catch means engaged by stretching the wire cylinder. for holding the handle in a closed position against the body member.

3. In a cigar lighter, a body member, an arm hinged to the body member, a spirally wound wire cylinder secured to the arm, a handle secured to the cylinder said handle having a recessed head, anA electric heating element in the head, an electric conductor in the body terminating in a contact member at the arm hinge, a cooperating contact member carried by the arm, an electric conductor therefrom passing through the cylinder to the Vheating element in the head and a second `conductor extending through the cylinder to keep the latter from heat-ing by induction. Y

4. In a cigar lighter, a body member having a slot, a member swingingly connected with the body member and having a fastening lug and also carrying an electric resistance said swinging member comprising a resilient member, said lug being adapted to enter the slot in the member and removably lock the swinging member to the body, and means for electrifying the resist-ance to heat it.

5. In a cigar lighter, a body member, an electric heating element, an arm hinged to the body member, a spirally Wound Wire cylinder secured to the arm, a handle secured by the cylinder, a recessed head on the handle, a disk of insulation in the recess, a pair of binding-posts carried vby the disk, an electric resistance connectingr the posts in the disk, contact members on each post, an insulation lining in the recess between the disk and bottom of the recess having a hole through which a contact member on one of the posts touches the metal of the head, a metal cup between the lining and disk in which the contact on the other post makes electrical connection, a

contact member on the arm near the hinge, an electric conductor from the resista-nce in the head to said contact member, a contactmember on the body making Contact with the one 0n the arm in raised position of the arm, a conductor in the body connecting said contact member on the body with a source of current, and means for completing the circuit between the body and source of current.

6. In a cigar lighter, a body member, a. member swingingly connected therewith carrying an electric resistance, and com prising in its length a cylinder iiiormed. of spirally wound Wire, an electric conduc tor in the body and extending thence to the electric resistance, through the cylinder, and a conducting Wire extendingY through the cylinder to keep the cylinder from heating by induction.

Signed at Indianapolis, Indiana, this the 29th day of January, 1923.

CHARLES W. MABE-Y. 

